Most Forgiving Irons in 2021 (To Change Your Game)

Speed Bridge

The most distinctive and immediately noticeable design element of the TaylorMade M6 forgiving irons, the Speed Bridge is a metal band connecting the sole with the topline of the iron. This provides extra stability to the iron, allowing TaylorMade to keep the face extremely thin for a large portion of the surface of the club face.

The sweet spot is thus enlarged, allowing for pure contact over a very large portion of the club face. As a result, the forgiveness is as good as I’ve seen in an iron, with virtually no distance lost when the ball is hit a little towards the toe or heel. Ball flight is remarkably straight, keeping iron shots in play no matter where on the face contact is made.

The only drawback to the Speed Bridge that I could find is the sound. It seems to magnify the sound at impact, so even though there are compression dampers on the back reducing vibrations, it’s a very loud iron. It takes some getting used to, but overall isn’t a deal breaker.

Fluted Hosel

TaylorMade has cleverly moved weight out of the hosel by fluting it 360 degrees, taking little bits of metal out and repositioning the weight on the heel, sole and toe of the iron, providing extreme perimeter weighting for optimum forgiveness. There’s also an “undercut” out of sight on the heel of the club, again for purposes of repositioning every bit of weight they can.

The extra weight in the sole lowers the center of gravity to make it easier to get the ball in air. This especially helps get better trajectory out of the rough, and assists players with slower swing speeds. Impacts low on the face are rewarded with penetrating ball flights but a good amount of backspin and stopping power, instead of runaway worm-burners.

Final thoughts

All the bells and whistles, the fluted hosel and undercut, the speed bridge and extra sole weight, they all contribute to better golf shots. So even they create kind of a Frankenstein look when you first inspect the club, the performance speaks for itself. And TaylorMade has taken great pains to make sure that all these things are hidden when it really counts: when you address the ball.

The M6 actually looks very clean at address, with a relatively thin and confidence-inspiring topline. There’s a helpful offset that will encourage a straight or slightly drawing ball flight. The M6 is one of the most forgiving and best-performing iron sets I’ve tested.

RIBCOR technology

From the rear, the clubs look a bit like Frankenstein’s monster due to the RIBCOR technology that makes the sole look almost detached from the clubface. This has a purpose, but it doesn’t look great.

Forward-thinking technology

In regards to the iron’s tech, I can’t argue with it. They’ve redistributed weight to the sole of the club and made the face thin and springy, which helps get the launch angle high. The sharp leading edge cuts through the rough nicely. TaylorMade claims RIBCOR stiffens the perimeter of the iron and helps with sound and feel, but I felt that the sound was somehow off; it was clunky even on well-struck shots.

I think they’re heading in the right direction and with a little tidying up on a few design elements, TaylorMade has a real winner on their hands. 

We have also reviewed the driver version of the TaylorMade M4.

Muted feel, muted forgiveness

Forgiveness is sacrificed a bit here, as missing the sweet spot produces a thudd-y clank sound and a ball flight that leaves a little to be desired. The satisfying snap I’m used to hearing from Callaway irons is a little deficient here.  

Overall, the golf irons just feel extra stiff, like they’re fighting the ball instead of just hitting it. I found them remarkably easy to work from right to left and left to right, and they do look great. Squaring them at approach and nestling the golf irons behind the ball inspires a confident swing.

Face gains, tungsten toe

The remarkable distance is a result of their Face Cup and Variable Face Technology that expands the springy area of the super-thin clubface. A tungsten weight in the toe puts the center of gravity in a low, forward spot to help get the ball up in the air quickly. However, I’ve found that tungsten is often the culprit in an iron that feels too stiff and sounds clanky.

They do what they can to temper the sound with a pillow of urethane microspheres in the hollow space behind the clubface. I shudder to think of what they’d sound like without the urethane padding! 

Strong lofts

The last thing Callaway has done to max out distance is to strength the loft of every iron. The 3-iron is 18 degree, which in years past would be called a 1- or 2-iron. The pitching wedge is 44 degrees, the loft of a Mizuno 9-iron. This might be why they fly so far but don’t have the forgiveness you’re expecting from the iron you’re hitting. 

But if you’re looking for breakout distance, the Rogues are hard to beat.

All irons are bonded with the company’s Speed Bridge technology along the back of the club. The bridge, consisting of one steel bar, supports the irons’ exceptional distance and terrific forgiveness.

If you like workability with your irons, theese provides a marvelous foundation for creating the shot height and shape. For golfers who want to draw their shots with their irons, these irons are well adept at handling the inside-out swing that produces the right to left shot shape.

The patented ECHO Damping System helps produce clean contact with an outrageously good feel. Instead of getting those jarring vibrations when the ball hits away from the center of the clubface, the dampening system secures the club for immediate response.

First, a slight warning for high handicappers and beginners, the SIM Max irons are not ideal for the inexperienced golfer. The learning curve to master these irons takes time and experience, so while they might not be great for this level of golfer now, that doesn’t mean they aren’t irons to strive for in the future.

With excellent strength, the TaylorMade SIM Max Irons provides fantastic distance with outstanding shotmaking capabilities.

Golfers who struggle to hit the ball high enough to clear water hazards and stop their ball on the green will find a lot to like here.

Thick sole for tough lies

The thick sole cuts through rough like a machete and digs the ball out of the grass. It also makes it possible to get the ball in the air from tight fairway and even hardpan lies.

Cleveland touts the “Cup Face” technology in the Launcher CBX irons, which increases the spring effect at impact and results in excellent ball speed off the clubface.

This helps heel and toe shots fly nearly as far as sweet spot strikes, though thin shots did see a noticeable distance loss in the long irons.

Looks

Speaking of the long irons, they’re a bit thicker than the short irons. Some golfers may actually find the thicker toplines increasing their confidence, but I found the look a little off-putting. It seemed to me like they couldn’t decide if they wanted to be irons or hybrids. Ultimately, however, it’ll come down to your personal preference.

Cleveland’s special grooves

Cleveland wedges are well known for their zip-grooves and laser milling, which is why you see such high usage both on tour and among amateurs.

They’ve brought these features to these irons, maximizing the backspin produced and making it easier to get the ball to stay on the green. Zip grooves are micro-grooves in between the regular grooves you see on clubs, and they really help produce more spin than most amateurs are used to seeing. You might even find your 9 iron taking one hop and then sucking back a few inches. 

Cleveland has a winner on their hands with the Launcher CBX: a combination of great forgiveness and distance with high ball flights and max spin that will benefit most golfers.

Distance over direction

The best feature of the X-Hot set that helps them achieve forgiveness is the Speed Frame Face technology. While the X-Hot is known primarily for its distance, the designers at Callaway crafted these irons to also provide more forgiveness to golfers. The way they achieved this feat is by using their current technology with their driver lines and modified it to be used on their set of irons.

During our testing, we were blown away by the X-Hot’s ability to handle our shots that drifted toward the toe. Not only did they stay relatively straight, but their distance stayed close to our average yardage.

Suited for mid and high handicappers

One minor complaint is the understanding that this iron set is suited for mid and high handicappers. Known as game-improvement irons, these cavity-backed clubs are perimeter-weighted to provide forgiveness and consistency, but not for shaping shots like low handicappers want for their irons.

If you are struggling with getting the ball into the air and keeping it along the target line, the Callaway X-Hot Iron Set is solidly built and well-designed to provide performance and overall improvement to your game.

The Speed Bridge is a bar that binds the back of the head, starting with the sole and connecting to the top edge. The bar produces enhanced feel, incredible distance, and outstanding sound. With a leading edge that creates exceptional turf interaction, these irons are built for speed and length.

Another worthwhile feature is the ECHO Damping System that reduces vibration. The solid feel instills confidence over time for golfers of all skill levels. For a distance iron, like the SIM MAX OS Irons, the improved feel is a delight.

These game improvement irons also feature the company’s thinnest face ever produced for more ball speed and forgiveness. When compared to the company’s M6 iron, the SIM MAX OS delivers more yardage.

While these irons don’t offer the workability of forged irons, for example, they do offer exceptional forgiveness. For high and mid handicappers, and even beginners, the SIM MAX OS Irons are unmatched in quality and innovation.

Offering staggering length, the SIM MAX OS Irons are worthy of consideration for golfers looking to improve their game from the fairway.

A Combo Set

The Hot Launch 3 is a combo set of hybrids, “ironwoods”, and irons. The hybrid long irons resemble small fairway woods and are very easy to pluck off the turf and launch straight up into the air. For those of you who have trouble hitting anything other than a wedge, this could be the answer.

The ironwoods are a new concept: essentially, they’re a hybrid of a hybrid and an iron. Sounds silly, I know! But many players find that even mid irons are tough to hit high enough to keep the ball from rolling over the green, and the help that the rounded back provides on the Hot Launch 3 ironwoods is significant. 

The 8-iron and up are more traditional cavity-back irons, but taken to the extreme for forgiveness, with the sweet spot extending nearly across the whole face. 

Sweet sweet spots

Across the set, these have giant sweet spots that are nearly impossible to miss. The ball flies about as far on a toe hit as it does off the middle of the clubface. The perimeter weighting and Tour Edge’s variable-face-thickness technology see to that, offering the best forgiveness overall of any of the irons tested. 

However, the overall distance from both good and bad strikes was noticeably lower than other irons in my tests. I found I had to use a club extra on most shots to make sure I was able to clear the hazards and get the ball all the way to the green. 

Moon shot trajectories

The high trajectory also made the ball more susceptible to the wind, and the design of the clubs made it tough to produce a lower ball flight even with a knock-down swing.

The Hot Launch 3 is a great set for beginners who are having trouble hitting irons across the board. Better players whose ball flight is too low or who are willing to give up some yardage in order to hit straighter shots should also be interested in these.

The durability rating comes from the fact that the paint seems to chip and scratch fairly easily, so it won’t take long until these look a little beaten up. I’d suggest headcovers for both the hybrids and the ironwood. 

All in all, a great entry from a quality manufacturer.